Doctor Who_ The Stone Rose - Jacqueline Rayner [25]
There were no priests around – his first lucky break. The Doctor took a deep breath and stepped inside.
A statue of Fortuna stood at the end of the shrine and his hearts quickened. But although she shared a pose with the statue they’d seen in the British Museum, although she carried a cornucopia and gazed proudly forward, this was not Rose – was not even a new statue. The marble was discoloured, the paint faded.
‘Rose is prettier than you,’ the Doctor told the statue.
‘Thanks,’ said the statue.
Of course it wasn’t the statue. It was a voice coming from somewhere behind it. But all the same, there was something wrong here. The Doctor started forward to investigate, but as he did so he almost trod on a small glass phial that came rolling out from behind the statue. It seemed to be full of some bright green substance. He stooped to pick it up, as the voice continued, ‘This’ll bring Rose back to life – and the others. All praise to me – that is, Fortuna, and all that.’
The Doctor took another determined step towards the statue, but a door slammed open behind him and a voice yelled breathlessly, ‘Doctor! Doctor!’
He turned to see Gracilis stumbling in. ‘Thank goodness I’ve found you!’ he puffed. ‘I’ve come to warn you –’
But there was another interruption. Into the shrine strode Lucius Aelius Rufus, the man from the guesthouse, accompanied by several armed guards.
There he is!’ roared Rufus, pointing at the Doctor. The Doctor looked back towards the statue, still puzzled – but then turned to face Rufus’s men as they came forward and grabbed him.
‘Well, excuse me,’ said the Doctor, mildly scolding. ‘This is no way to behave in a temple. I think it might be what they call sacrilege. Or is it blasphemy – I never can remember the difference? One of them, anyway, is what it is.’
The men ignored him and started to drag him towards the door.
‘So, where are we going?’ the Doctor asked conversationally.
Rufus smiled, showing a gold tooth. ‘To the arena,’ he said.
The Doctor smiled back. ‘A day out!’ he said. That’s a nice thought. Tell you what, though, I’d be just as happy with an intimate little dinner for two, bit of a chat…’
One of the men slapped him across the face, and the Doctor stumbled. To his horror, the glass phial fell from his hand. He tried to pull away but the men were strong and he was dizzy from the blow. ‘Gracilis!’ he tried to call, but they were out of the shrine now and he received another slap for his troubles.
Not only was he being dragged into danger, but he was being dragged further and further away from what might be Rose’s salvation. And he was unable to investigate the biggest mystery of the day – why was someone in an ancient Roman temple talking to him through something that sounded distinctly like a vocoder?
* * *
It was soon only too clear where the Doctor was being taken. An enormous structure loomed up ahead, a giant round building that was as tall as thirty Doctors, made of gleaming white stone that sharply reminded him of Rose’s probable fate. Dozens of archways stretched round the lowest storey, currently devoid of life. But the Doctor knew that at times tens of thousands of people would stream through those entrances, eager to see the bloody spectacle that awaited beyond.
This was the Flavian Amphitheatre, which would one day become known as the Colosseum. Home to gladiator fights, wild beast hunts, and thousands upon thousands of grisly executions.
‘Are we going to take in a show?’ asked the Doctor with interest. ‘Only we seem to have come on the wrong day. It’s a bit quiet, so probably better to come back another time.’
‘No blood is shed on the Quinquatrus,’ one of his captors informed him.
‘Ah, righto, pleased to hear it. Well, if you’ll just let me go, then…’
The man grinned unpleasantly. ‘Tomorrow, on the other hand, when we honour Mars…’
The Doctor sighed. He was getting tired of this. Suddenly he put on the brakes, digging in his heels and making his surprised captors unbalance. He brought his arms down sharply,